Phillipson announces bid for Labour deputy leadership

Bridget Phillipson has put herself forward for Labour’s deputy leadership, pledging to unite the party and take on Reform UK.

The Education Secretary announced her candidacy early on Tuesday, describing herself as “a proud working-class woman from the North East” who had gone from “a single-parent family on a tough council street” to the Cabinet table.

Adding that she had taken on “powerful vested interests in the education sector” and “never taken a backwards step”, she pledged to “bring that same determination to every battle ahead of us”.

She said: “Because make no mistake: we are in a fight. We all know the dangers Reform poses to our country.

“But not only am I ready for it: I’ve proven we can do it. I’ve shown we can beat Farage in the North East while staying true to the Labour Party’s values of equality, fairness and social justice.”

Ms Phillipson is the second MP to put themselves forward for the deputy leadership, left vacant after Angela Rayner’s resignation last week over her tax affairs.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy announced her candidacy on Monday evening while Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry has indicated she is also considering a bid for the role.

Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker is also understood to be contemplating putting herself forward.

Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme on Tuesday, Ms Ribeiro-Addy said Labour needed a debate about “what’s gone wrong” in its first year in power and warned the party would not be able to “attract or even to retain” voters without a change in direction.

Nominations for the deputy leadership opened on Tuesday and candidates have until 5pm on Thursday to secure the backing of 80 MPs in order to reach the next round of the contest.

The truncated nomination period has led some to accuse the party leadership of orchestrating a “stitch-up”, while Ms Ribeiro-Addy described it as “unfair”.

She added: “The Labour Party is a broad church and, actually, when we are able to have debates, when we are able to bring forward different views, it actually makes us better.”

So far, few parliamentarians have come out publicly in support of a candidate, although Ms Ribeiro-Addy has received support from members of the left of the party, including Richard Burgon, the chairman of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs.

But others within the party have suggested Ms Rayner’s successor should be a woman from the North of England, which would rule out Ms Ribeiro-Addy and Dame Emily.

Speaking to Times Radio on Tuesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he would “certainly prefer” the next deputy leader to be a woman.

He added: “Without being disrespectful to some brilliant women in London who are standing, like Emily Thornberry, who I’ve got lots of respect for, I can well understand why lots of my colleagues are saying we should have a deputy leader from outside London to broaden perspectives.”